Various transport mechanisms may be used for the transport of products from producers to consumers. Examples of such mechanisms include trucks that travel over a roadway, ships that move over bodies of water, and guideway vehicles that travel over land-based guideway systems. Whereas trucks may be efficient for transporting products relatively short distances, guideway systems may be more practical for transporting large quantities of products over relatively long distances. In contrast to typical railway systems that use a pair of rails, a guideway system include a single guideway made of a structurally rigid material. Automated transport vehicles are guided over the guideway along a predetermined path.
Regardless of the mechanism used, various difficulties, such as theft and/or inclusion of contraband materials, may be encountered during the shipment of products from one location to another. Previous solutions to the problems include the inspection of the products and/or containers before and after shipment. However, inspection is relatively difficult to implement where large quantities of products are transported and/or where multiple transport mechanisms have been used. This may be particularly true where the transport of the goods is across international borders.